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Stalls happen & they will break in their time. Think of them as your body being stressed (it’s going through a lot of change at the moment - surgery, weight loss, change of diet, etc.) & it just wants to shut the door & pull the covers over it’s head until it’s ready to deal with the changes & stress. You just need to ride it out. Don’t stress yourself or your body more. Follow your plan, meet your protein & fluid goals & your weight will start to drop again.

another thing to consider is follow-up. At my clinic (and I'm sure most others), I had to go back after 2 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months for follow-up appts. And then we're encouraged to go yearly after that (I do, but i don't think most patients do after the first year). Since it would be impractical to fly to NY for all of those, you'd have to make sure your PCP was willing to do that. And of course they don't know as much about the surgeries as a bariatric surgeon would. complications can happen, but they're pretty uncommon. I'm guessing the person you know who had issues was one of a handful of patients out of the hundreds they've had. I'm sure NYU Langone has probably had some that haven't turned out well, either. With some cases, it may not have even been due to anything the surgeon did. You can always check the reviews on each of the surgeons and see what people said about him/her.

Has anyone experienced thyroid issues after your surgery? My surgery was on 12/2. For the past two weeks it feels like my thyroid is about to jump out my neck. I didn’t realize what it was until first thinking it was my heart rate. But after getting that checked it was on. However, I was sleep the other night and I kept feeling like something was beating quickly then noticed it was my thyroid. I didn’t take my thyroid medicine today. I was thinking it may need to be adjusted. I will also call my doctor to schedule an appt and I have a blood test that he ordered when I went to see him last week and the thyroid function test is a part of that. Anybody experience this? I’m on Armour thyroid 120mg for hypothyroidism.

very common. Many women experience mood swings and/or screwed up menstrual cycles for the first few months after surgery. It's supposedly because estrogen is stored in fat cells, and it gets released during rapid weight loss. It'll stabilize once your weight loss slows down. It can take a few weeks or months.

Thank you for your response, it does make a lot of sense that it can be water weight. I had a tonsillectomy 12 days prior to my revision so I've had LOTS and LOTS of IV and fluids in the past month. As far as tracking my intake, I am terrible at it and not "tracking my calories". My surgeon more so suggested tracking protein rather than calories. I am still very early on (4 weeks today), so I am not eating a ton. Every meal I try to make it protein (eggs, ground chicken, etc).

I had a revision due to gerd back in August. I didn't really have any stalls but the first couple of weeks, I had Water weight (over 10 lbs) gain due to the IV fluids so that always appears to be a stall. It took over 3 weeks to get rid of all that water. I am guessing that is what you are experiencing right now or something similar. They told me that I won't lose as fast as the VSG but that was not the case for me. I was content at 160 lbs (post vsg weight) but I got down to 108 lbs after revision. I learned a lot of tools while I had my vsg, and they continue to work through the revision.If you gained weight with vsg, to continue losing after revision, your eating habits must change from when you had your vsg. Unfortunately, the surgery itself will not make you lose weight as faster than vsg. Statistically, it is more effective than vsg but not by much. Like the sleeve, it is an effective tool if used correctly. Are you logging your intake? What are your calories per day? If it is below what you daily expend, the weight will continue to come off and you can shrug those pesky stalls off.

I had a 4 month long period when I started depo (13 week cycle). I spotted all through the first shot, and for a few weeks after the second, before it finally stopped. Have not had a period of any kind since (5+ years!). I've read that it is VERY common, and cycle changes after surgery probably don't help. Give it some time, keep in touch with your doctor, but it will likely resolve after your next shot.

Hi there! I have been anemic all my life. I recently saw a hematologist at the suggestion of my dietician. My ferritin was at 3, and he immediately had me do iron infusions. He also discovered that I was severely B12 deficient. Has your doctor checked your other vitamins? I've been able to maintain (although its been 6 months) But what worked for me was the 5 infusions along with b12 shots. For the first 4 weeks the shots were weekly and now I am maintaining at 1 a month. Also, post surgery I am doing the iron melts with Vitamin C. I have more bloodwork in March to see if its sustained the levels. Lastly, I HIGHLY recommend a hematologist rather than a PCP/OBGYN. My PCP and GYN just kind of brushed it off and told me to take vitamins. The one that got to the bottom of the cause of my anemia was a Hemo.

I had my bypass revision on 12/13/2022, my period came down a few days after. It has now been close to 4 weeks of it non stop. Some days it's bright, other days its brown but the one thing is that its been constant. Previous to my surgery I had a Mirena for 1 year, I had not had a period for over 10 months. The Mirena was removed in November, a few days later I got the depo shot. So my depo was fairly recent to my bypass. I called my gyno and she is not concerned at this point since there is no odor, pain or fever. Has anyone experienced this? Do you guys think its the shock of surgery? A mix of all the BC hormones recently?

Thank you for your words of encouragement! Sorry about your reflux, I can definitely say that the revision has completely corrected that issue for me, I wish you luck and hope all goes well. As far as my protein intake, I think I have been managing fairly well especially last week. Since I knew I was going to overexert myself I upped my protein and even reached 100g a couple of the days. I am still early on so I am limited on what I can/cant eat and I am terrified of dumping so I have stayed away from carbs and sugar altogether.

I am 3 and half weeks in and am being sick every day. I particularly can't keep water down Anyone out there had the same.problem and got through it??

Hi! I am so sorry you are going through this. I am really surprised that your barium swallow test did not show anything if you are having such bad reflux. All of this is so frustrating. You go through the first surgery thinking that everything will be just fine and then find out something else has to be done, and then you have to fight with insurances and Dr.'s just to help you. I am lucky, I have amazing Dr.'s who have fought, I just don't have an insurance who will help me. I did not even know that the sleeve could cause reflux to get worse until I had a surgery consult in 2021. My reflux was slowly increasing since I was sleeved in 2015 and finally in 2020/2021 I could not take it any longer. Every night acid would come out of my nose, despite having an adjustable bed and practically sleeping sitting up, not eating or drinking 2-3 hours before bed. I was doing everything. I had an upper endoscopy that showed a hiatal hernia and I was referred to a surgeon. To my luck the surgeon was the leading bariatric surgeon in my region. He said that since I had the sleeve he could not fix my hernia that the only fix was to convert to the Bypass. I had no idea that was even an option, and he explained to me what was going on. I was blown away. He then sent me for the barium swallow. The radiologist said that she had never seen anyone with as bad reflux as I had. I refluxed the barium standing up! She had never seen that before. It was very clear what was needed and I was immediately fast-tracked through the Bariatric program since it had been so long since I had been through a program, and my first program was in a different area and through different insurance. Then came the brick wall. My insurance denied the surgery. They stated that my reflux was a complication from the first surgery, even though I had reflux prior to the surgery. I appealed and sent medical documentation to show I had reflux prior to the surgery and they still denied. I did 3 levels of appeal, and my surgeon also did a pier to pier review with the medical director with the insurance and they denied again. And I finally found out the real reason. I have my insurance through my husbands insurance through his work, and his company specifically excluded bariatric procedures, so bottom line, no matter the reason why I am getting the surgery they will not cover it because it is still coded as a bariatric surgery. And I have to now pay cash for the surgery. But it is worth it if it fixes the problem and I don't have to deal with the reflux! However this is my experience with my insurance. I hope you don't have the same experience with your insurance. Are there any other surgeons in your area? You are always free to get a second opinion. It is sad but sometimes you have to push Dr.'s to listen to you, and you have to be your own advocate and not wait for them. Please don't be afraid to fight for yourself and your health!!! I would think that they would take into consideration the medication that you have to take, and the conditions that the reflux is already causing. Good Luck!!!

It's normal. Your body is adjusting, we all have gone through the stalls. Your body was probably in shock from the low calories and then walking Disney too.

CHK, I had bypass the day after you and get to start Phase 3: purees on Thursday. I plan to make a lot of the soft food recipes without some of the chopped vegetables from the Baritastic app and puree them: Ricotta bake, Cottage Cheese bake, cauliflower puree, and the tender turkey meatloaf. I also am going to really blend down chicken salad, turkey chili, taco seasoned ground turkey w/ guacamole, and regular ground turkey or low-fat ground beef with low carb/sugar marinara (I like the Pomi brand). I also plan to make thinned down mashed potatoes & sweet potatoes. I have a whole lineup. I'm sick of liquids, too, between the 2-week pre-op liver shrinking diet & the 2-week post-op clear liquid and full liquid phases. I'm also a seasoned weight lifter but tend to do more modified CrossFit/cardio strength conditioning workouts. Once, I'm cleared, I will transition to body weight calisthenics workouts. I have been a little more active each day and noticed that my stomach (and?) have been pretty sore yesterday and today from keeping my core tight or being a little too active. Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

I am curious the process people went through for Sleeve to Bypass? I've been seeing a gastroenterologist for pain, nausea, vomiting. I have had 2 EGD's, both show chronic inflammation and gastritis, due to reflux. My surgeon is sounding very reluctant to do this surgery. I did get down to 115 lbs and have put on 50 lbs since my lowest. He is blaming the reflux on the weight gain, but I was at my lowest, when the first EGD showed inflammation due to reflux. He just ordered a barium swallow, and all came back normal. I am seeing the nutritionist, she said she spoke with the surgeon, and we would be going over the new pre-op diet, since it is different than the sleeve and has changed since I had the sleeve in 2019. I am afraid he will refuse to do the surgery and I will be left with this pain, nausea and vomiting; I have been battling for almost 3 years, with no relief. My gastroenterologist is at his wits end and doesn't want to continue seeing me go through this. I wake up choking on acid, had tests run by my pulmonologist and cardiologist. My asthma had gone away but returned. The surgeon also blames that on the weight gain. Pre-sleeve, I had walked 27,000 steps in a year. This year, I am at 1.7 million steps and ride a stationary bike 10-15 miles a day. This is huge for me, I have something called Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. Pre-sleeve, I was knocking on deaths door. I only found this "terminal" illness, from my pre-op tests for the sleeve. Since the weight loss, I went from 6 months to live, to medication that has me at "normal/high" levels vs "high". My specialist is afraid the weight gain is spiraling and illness progressing. What changed for me, the medication I take for PAH, you have to consume 250-300 calories per dose with 30-50% fat content. Otherwise, you get violently ill. I take 3 doses a day. When I was diagnosed and first 2 years, I was on a CADD pump and that medication didn't have dietary requirements. Sorry for the long story........I just can't take the reflux (even though the barium swallow does not show but EGD definitely does and has, in 3 different tests) and the weight gain is scaring me to death. What was your process with your surgeons, going from sleeve to bypass? Is this a long process? Did you have a difficult time with insurance approval? Any suggestions on getting this done? Your experience and help, is greatly appreciated!

Dec 5th was a few weeks ahead of me. I had a bypass on Dec 28th and I am curious how you all that had the surgery before me are doing? I am just now starting the phase 3 diet which is nice because I was getting really tired of soup and protein shakes. I sincerely hope that you all who went before me are getting exactly what you wanted out of your surgery. I am so looking forward to being healthy again. I played sports my entire life and lifted weights heavily in high school and college, I pray that there is some muscle memory there. It is still too early for me to start working out (other than walking) but I am so motivated to get in shape that I am counting the days until I can actually start to work out and lift and do sit ups etc.. What are some good meals that you have found that satisfy your cravings and fill you up? Any advice from you all who were a few weeks ahead of me would be appreciated. Good Luck all!

I'm flying to Turkey next month to have my revisional surgery from sleeve to Gastric Bypass. However, I'm actually terrified. Like, I'm just so scared. Funnily enough, my heart nor my gut is telling me anything out of the ordinary. It's almost like I want to be scared? With my sleeve, I was so ready to go. Not a fear in my bones. But this time, I'm afraid and reading things on mortality rates and everything. It's just so unlike me as I already know the risks involved. Perhaps this is happening because it's my first time having surgery abroad, but I think it's also because my labs. My blood work came back lower than they would have liked, and told me to wait until February to have my surgery. My surgeon assured me that if my iron is still low, they will give me an iron injection prior to the surgery. Okay, cool! That was until I started googling and read that iron infusions are best 2-3 weeks before surgery and that having it right before surgery will do nothing! So that places me in a place of doubt. Before anyone asks, I'm having the surgery abroad because it's far too expensive to have it done here, and to have it covered by insurance will take a lifetime and even then, it's not guaranteed since my sleeve was so successful (the words of my surgeon here in my country). Those of you who had surgery abroad, specifically Turkey, can you lend some reassurance? What about those of you who had lower iron levels prior to surgery? I'm just looking for words of encouragement here.. Even typing this out, I feel kinda silly. Lol. 😅 Maybe that was all I needed; to just let it out.

Thanks Lorie. Im laying here in my post Op hospital room about 24 hours after the surgery. So far so good. Having done this before, even though I don’t remember much for that first time 10 years ago has helped. I too look at it as a chance to not make the same mistakes twice. I lost 20 lbs (8% EBW) just in the 2 week Optifast preop diet and I’m taking that as a win. Defiantly a bit skittish about stressing this little pouch so I’ll sipping slowly. Only clear fluids in hospital and certainly no hunger yet. Incision sites are painful, walking around the ward seems to help with the gas. No GERD or coughing so that’s the real blessing! Anything else is just extra

Thank you so much for sharing. As I am hearing more successes I am feeling more comfortable. I am less than a week away and just want start living my new normal life without reflux!

yes - I had the same problem since I had the same reaction to either the surgical glue or the tape that my plastic surgeon used. I broke out in hives a day or two after surgery, but it was too early for him to remove the tape, so he put me on prednisone (I think for a week or maybe 10 days) to calm down my immune system until it was safe for him to remove the tape. There were no issues with that and my RNY.

Hey all: I had what I hope is my last minor skin revision on Friday of last week. I developed a pretty nasty reaction to the steritape used to cover two incisions. I’ve had this reaction before. My plastic surgeon and the CNP in his office determined it was essentially hives. I have removed the steritape and followed the office’s instructions. They called in a Medrol (prednisone) 6 day course of steroids for me. Does anyone have experience with taking short term corticosteroids after RNY? To be safe, I’m taking them with a 20mg Omeprazole and food or milk. Is there a risk of pouch irritation/ulcer for a short term course? I’m 9 years post-op.

the other thing is, most people do experience a 10-20 lb rebound from their lowest weight during years 2 or 3 - so your regain is normal That's not to say that you can't take it off again, but yea - it'll take work. Good luck to you!! (as I mentioned above, I'm working on that myself!)

Hey yall! This is my first post. I had a VSG in 07/2017, everything was wonderful. I went from a HW of 390 to a LW of 200. The weight came off EXTREMELY quickly. COVID came and it just completely derailed me. Due to regain and heartburn, I just had a VSG revision to Bypass on 12/13/2022. I will be 4 weeks post op tomorrow. Everything was going amazingly great post op, I felt great from day 1 and did not even need pain meds (as opposed with my sleeve). I have been at a stall for 2+weeks and it is driving me absolutely insane. I have lost a total of 26lbs since preop diet (12/01/2022), I have spent the last week walking a TON at the Disney parks and did not weigh myself all week HOPING that when I came home the stall would be broken. I thought maybe the stall was because I was not having frequent BM's but all the walking did help in that area. Much to my surprise, I actually gained a pound when I got home. I am eating well, I am hydrating but just very confused as to why I am stalling for so long. I try to not associate it with my sleeve as my VSG the weight was coming off very rapidly, I was also way heavier. My doctor did warn that I will not lose as much and as fast as the sleeve since this is a revision. I just want to be on the losing path again, has this happened to any of you specifically with a revision?

I also prep things that freeze well. Chili Make a whole chicken (or turkey) and pull it apart and freeze in desired weight bags. I actually froze my leftover turkey from Thanksgiving and used some last week and make turkey stir fry instead of chicken. It was delicious! I buy the frozen bags of chicken so I can pull 1 or 2 pieces out as needed- Shake and bake is my jam for a quick easy and healthier (15-30 cals per serving) "breaded" chicken or pork. Make a big batch of pasta sauce and freeze in smaller amounts Homemade meat balls and freeze raw or cooked Homemade turkey or regular burgers. Soups freeze well, although I am not a soup person so I don't make them I started freezing more because learning to cook after WLS was not easy..lol.. I threw away tons of food. So I started freezing anything before throwing it away to see how it was after being thawed and reheated. Worse case I just threw it away later but then I knew and learned about what freezes well. I also meal prep lunches for work, so make bulk and eat it for a few days. Mainly to stay on track but it would also save you a lot of time for dinners too. You could cook the lean ground beef/turkey and use it for different things through the week. Spaghetti? Tacos? Etc.. Cook a larger amount of chicken and do the same thing? Chicken salad, chicken stir fry, chicken ON a fresh salad, chicken and veggies..etc.